A historic “Baggy Green” cap worn by Australian cricket legend Sir Don Bradman during the 1947–48 Test series against India has sold for 460,000 Australian dollars (€268,000 / $318,000) at a Gold Coast auction, setting a record price for one of Bradman’s caps.
The cap, one of cricket’s most iconic symbols, had been gifted by Bradman to Indian cricketer Sriranga Wasudev Sohoni. Sohoni’s family carefully preserved the treasured item for around 75 years, passing it down through three generations.
Lee Hames, Chief Operating Officer of Lloyds Auctioneers and Valuers, said the cap had been kept under strict family care. Access to it was highly restricted, reflecting its immense sentimental and historical value, according to dw.com
The cap bears the names “D.G. Bradman” and “S.W. Sohoni” inscribed inside. It was purchased by an anonymous bidder and is expected to be placed on public display at an Australian museum.
Its excellent condition stands in contrast to another Bradman cap sold in 2024 for about $215,000, which showed sun fading and insect damage.
The 1947–48 series against India was memorable on multiple fronts. Australia won the five-Test series 4–0 with one draw, and Bradman dominated with the bat.
Across six innings, he scored 715 runs, remaining unbeaten twice and averaging a remarkable 178.75. His tally included four centuries and one half-century.
The tour was also a landmark moment for Indian cricket, marking the national team’s first overseas tour after India gained independence in August 1947. It symbolized a new chapter for the sport in the young nation.
Bradman’s chief rival in the series was India’s captain and all-rounder Vinoo Mankad, who posed a significant threat with both bat and ball.
Mankad also entered cricketing vocabulary during the tour by twice running out Australian batsman Bill Brown at the non-striker’s end — a dismissal that later became known as “Mankading.”
Though legal, the method has long sparked debate over sportsmanship, despite Mankad having warned Brown beforehand.
Widely regarded as the greatest batsman in cricket history, Bradman played 52 Test matches for Australia and finished with an extraordinary batting average of 99.94 — a figure unmatched in the sport.
